Campaigning to keep Hastings green spaces clean

Visitors often come to enjoy the beach (and of course our pier) but find themselves surprised and delighted by our green spaces. In Hastings my favourites are Alexandra Park and St Leonard’s Gardens. They are wonderful for a walk or summer picnic but are also excellent community spaces which often host local events.

The East Hill is on my doorstep and if I’m feeling energetic I can start the day with a brisk walk up through Tackleway and down the steps. For a beach walk you can’t beat Pett Level or exploring the area around our iconic fishing huts.

It is endlessly disappointing that too many people don’t treat these areas with the respect that they should and I am afraid I am getting militant about litter. We need to crack down on those who do not show care to our areas and ensure that we make the most of the beautiful sights our towns have to offer. These towns are our homes, so it is right that we treat them like our own houses and make the extra effort to dispose of our rubbish responsibly.

Judging from the responses to my recent survey in Braybrooke, many residents feel the same. Lots of respondents responded glowingly about Alexandra Park, but lamented that some visitors ruined its beauty with littering. Some commented that we need more facilities for disposing litter while others suggested we should have signs reminding people how unfair it is to other people to spoil their parks. Well - they are both right. We need both additional facilities for litter disposal as well as the reminders to treat our parks with respect and I will be taking that up with our councils.

We’ve all seen the dreadful impact that masses of plastic have on our seas and on our environment in general. I’m grateful to the many volunteers who go out litter picking on the beach to clear it up – I enjoyed walking along our beaches as part of a beach clean earlier on in the year. Let’s all make an effort this Christmas to ensure that plastic and litter don’t get there in the first place.